Economic downturn fells tree plantings

Budget cuts are trimming down the number of trees in Costa Mesa.

Because the economic downturn has drained its revenue sources, the city has no money left for its tree planting program this fiscal year, said Bruce Hartley, the city’s maintenance services manager.

Since the 2009-10 fiscal year began July 1, residents who asked the city to plant a tree in front of their home were told, “Sorry, we can’t plant one,” Hartley said.

Residents, however, can pay for a tree, which would be an official donation to the city, and the city will plant it in front of their homes.

Planting a tree costs about $95, if the city hires a contractor, he said.

In Costa Mesa, there are about 31,265 spots designated for planting trees on city-owned property, such as sidewalks and right-of-ways.

But only 22,522 trees are actually standing in those spots, leaving a balance of 8,743 treeless spots, Hartley said.

“Some trees died, some are removed for various reasons, and there is inadequate funding,” Hartley said. “But for the most part, it’s lack of funding.”

Every time a piece of land is developed or a home is built, the city requires the developer to plant trees. Yet when a tree is taken down, the city is not required to replace it.

“We might not have the immediate budgeting to replace the tree,” said Tom Hatch, Costa Mesa’s assistant city manager.

And there are times when trees can’t be planted in certain designated spots because of problems with terrain, Hatch said.

It would take about $830,585 to plant the 8,743 trees. In past years, the city has allocated funds to plant trees, but it’s not the case under today’s circumstances.

“Normally, we plant several hundred depending on the year, whether there are grants available, or whether we have tree planting projects like Arbor Day,” Hartley said. “We actively reforest on an ongoing basis, as long as there are funds to add to our urban forest.”

As it is, maintaining the trees is no cheap task. It cost about $450,000 last year to trim, manage, prune roots and remove root barriers in existing trees. Trees are trimmed every three to four years and palm trees are trimmed annually.

This year, the city is allocating less than $400,000 for the tree maintenance program, Hartley said.

But the outlook for Costa Mesa tree lovers isn’t all bleak. The city recently was granted $60,746 from the Southern California Air Quality Management Department to plant and maintain 250 trees, Hartley said.

The trees will be planted in Fairview and Canyon parks.